Thalia White is the CEO and Founder of Bee Conservation. Her background is in sales, leading as a director at the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry and conducting European sales for Russell Publishing. She grew up in rural Kent with the countryside being a big part of her life. She’s always been fascinated by bees and was driven by her love for the environment in her career. She enjoys beekeeping, horse riding, and spending time with her son. As part of our membership to the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, we interviewed Thalia about her business and here’s what she said!
What was your first job and what was the pay packet? I worked for the Smythe-Osbourne family on the hunts. I lived in the stable block and had a pay packet of £30 a week!
What do you always carry with you to work? A bee suit and my diary.
What is the biggest challenge facing your business? Adapting to the challenges of COVID. It’s so much harder not being able to do things in person and keeping momentum up.
If you were Prime Minister, what one thing would you change to help business? I would massively invest in the green energy sector, particularly around making electric cars accessible and affordable. I would also prioritise investing in other green technology and climate solutions.
What can you see from your office window? A laurel bush and Edenbridge train station. It’s not a bad view for a home office!
If you could do another job what would it be? I wouldn’t want to do anything else! I’m very happy.
As a business person, what are your three main qualities? I’m very driven, compassionate, and I make things happen no matter what challenges arise.
What was your biggest mistake in business? I don’t feel I’ve made any mistakes, just opportunities to learn from. If anything, it was not having enough faith in myself.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs? Go for it. If you feel passionately about something, do it and ride with it. Nothing is perfect but you have to do it anyway.
Who do you most admire in business? Elon Musk.
Thanks to Thalia for this interview and to the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce for publishing it.
Photo credits: https://www.whiterocksfarm.co.uk https://www.facebook.com/james.b.woods